occupational science

This weeks #Otalk is on the topic of “occupational balance” and will be hosted byAmie Mowlam-Tett (@Amie_OT).

Here is what Amy had to say…

Personally, this topic is one close to my heart; during the second year of my MSc I experienced a number of personal setbacks, including the death of a close relative. At one time I couldn’t imagine myself qualifying, it took peer support and time to balance my occupations, remembering time for myself and I did it. I qualified. More importantly, I learnt a lot about balance and need for ‘me’ time. I want to share my experiences and get talking about the importance of our own health and wellbeing when so much of our times is focused on the health and wellbeing of others.

With months to go before the end of the course for students, it’s easy to become focused on work and neglect time for yourself. I am asking you to take a break, breathe and think about your own wellbeing. Let’s talk about balance, what it means to us and come up with strategies to help keep that work-life balance healthy. This isn’t just for students, for clinicians, it’s a perfect opportunity to share your experiences, hints or advice and maybe pick up a few tips too.

Some questions to consider:

What does occupational balance mean to you?

How important is occupational balance in your daily life?

How well balanced do you feel your occupations are? (eg work/studying and home-life)

What most affect your occupational balance?

How do you create occupational balance, what strategies do you use?

What tips do you have for students about to qualify?

If you could change one thing about your occupational balance what would it be?

#OTalk Participants

This weeks #Otalk is on the topic of “Critical reflection” and will be hosted by Stephanie Lancaster (@TheOutloudOT).

Stephanie has practiced as an OT for over 25 years. She is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, TN. Stephanie blogs at www.stephanielancaster.com and hosts a podcast for people interested in OT called On The Air (www.OnTheAir.us)

Years before I went back to school to get a Master’s degree in Leadership & Policy Studies, a colleague of mine told me that she had been asked by her faculty what her one big take-away had been. Her response, she said, had been that it’s important to read the foreword in a book.

In all honesty, I didn’t see the value in the behavior she recommended at the time of our conversation; it wasn’t until years later that I discovered the wisdom in her words. Something else that exchange did for me, though, was to serve as a prompt during my own graduate studies, I identified my own big take-away: There is great value in the process of critical reflection.

Since I began teaching, I have been interested in how, when, and why they reflect in a critical fashion and how that impacts their learning. Over time, what I have noted is that there is great variability in the methods of instruction in and in the expectations and evaluation of critical reflection and to the reflective writing process that accompanies this. In fact, “the widespread espousal of reflection as a key to effective learning has meant that its meaning is assumed to be obvious to all” (James & Brookfield, 2014, p. 26); however, in the midst of the multitude of methods of delivery and expectations associated with this teaching and learning technique, only infrequently are students provided with structured and distinct instruction about the process of reflective writing (James, 2007).

I have heard students and practitioners ask what the difference is between reflection and critical reflection and want to address that question here:

Reflection is defined as looking back at something, and sometimes the phrase giving serious thought to is also added into the mix. Critical reflection occurs when we analyze and challenge the validity of our presumptions – or what we think we know – and then assess the appropriateness of our knowledge base, our understanding, and our beliefs, given our current context (Mezirow, 1990). It involves looking back and looking inward and then comparing that to another set of information or viewpoint, followed by actively reconciling, or making peace between, the two data sets. While the two terms are sometimes used interchangeably, critical reflection is a more involved process that is expected to have a more perceptible impact on one’s level of understanding (Brookfield, 1990).

Several months ago, I came across an article by Martin Hampton in the Department for Curriculum and Quality Enhancement at the University of Portsmouth (n.d.) that provides a detailed breakdown the components of a high-quality critical reflection. In the article, reflective writing is defined as evidence of critically reflective thinking and, in the context of academics, described as having three components:

Looking back at something

Analyzing what occurred, including thinking from different perspectives or places of understanding

Determining and expressing what that means for you and your ongoing progress as a learner and/or practicing professional​

Please note that this is just one way to structure critically reflective writing; there are other ways, and you may be required or you may choose to follow a different model. Please remember, though, regardless of the format you choose, that there is great value in reflection … and that, like many other things in life, oftentimes what you get out of this process is directly related to what you put into it.

Questions to consider

Q1: What do you know about critical reflection?

Q2: How have you gained this understanding?

Q3: In what, if any, form of critical reflection do you currently engage?

Q4: How can OT students and practitioners improve their ability to critically reflect?

Q5: Provide an example of a professional development goal written to target critical reflection.

I’m sure the astute among you will notice that I, @kirstyes, haven’t had much involvement in #OTalk of late. New members may indeed wonder who I even am.

When I helped co-found #OTalk six years ago I was in a very different place in my life. I was lecturing in OT and OTalk was a way for me to keep in touch with lots of different aspects of Occupational Therapy and to look at engaging with Occupational Science too.

Tuesday nights were part of my routine and if I wasn’t hosting a chat I’d be taking part in it. It was an extension of my day job AND a leisure activity.

Now I’m back working part time in clinical practice in a specialist field and I started to find that #OTalk started feeling less like fun and more like work. Not in a bad way and the team and the community are awesome but I was finding my capacity for it had diminished.

I won’t bore you with the details but I’ve had my battles with depression and fatigue and I’ve had to consider where to spend my time and energy.

Those of you who have stuck with me through my absence will have spotted that what time that I don’t work I spend reading and doing booky things and may know I harbour an ambition to be a published fiction author. Well it is time for my previous valued occupation to step aside and to be replaced with writing and editing.

I’ve loved my time on the team and have been honoured to work with some fabulous people past and present. It has been great to see the student interns develop into competent practitioners and join the team as full members and I hope the team continues to take on new OT talent and support the OT community with their CPD.

I have asked the team if they are happy for me to still share a connection with #OTalk as Sponsor (I’ll continue paying for the ongoing techie side of things – I’ve also offered research proofreading skills). I’m off to do some CPD this weekend at the MS Trust Conference and in time maybe I’ll pop back to take part in the odd chat.

I hope some of you still consider staying with me on twitter. Especially if you like books, after all if I get one finished I’ll need some people to buy a copy 😜.

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ke Hogwarts – OTalk will always be there to welcome you home. We all belong to the Order of the Phoenix.

So, it is with some sadness and also much gratitude that I say goodbye to OTalk and welcome space for a new balance of occupations in my life.

How have you found saying goodbye to valued occupations that you have taken part in?

My sister, also an OT, but not a Twitter faring one,came up with this topic. I thought it would be fun for us to share our OT journeys through recollection of some key #OTMoments, it might also be helpful for those looking to study the profession, and those newly graduating, and well, all of us as a little reflection.